Monday, 10 June 2013

An Exclusive Interview with Dipannita Sharma

Dipannita Sharma is a
Supermodel, Bollywood Actor & an Entrepreneur all rolled into one. Born and
raised in the picturesque state of Assam in North East India, this 5’9
statuesque beauty came into the mainstream world of fashion after making it to
the final five of the prestigious Miss India 1998 and even won the title of
Miss. Photogenic in the same contest. From then on, there was no looking back
for this Assamese beauty, as she went on to become the darling of the fashion
industry. She became a muse for most of the top designers and one of
the much sought after models for best of the best fashion publication houses,
ad-agencies and photographers, both nationally and internationally.Multi talented Dipannita
forayed into Bollywood with varied genres of roles, which saw her being
nominated for Best Female Debut Award for ‘December 16’ in 2002 and Best
Supporting Actor Female category for ‘Ladies VS Ricky Bahl’ in 2011. In this
exclusive interview with Stylefluid Trendz, she was gracious enough to give an
insight into what it means to be Dipannita Sharma.

Stylefluid
Trendz:Tell us something about your growing up days. How has your family
shaped who you are today?

Dipannita:The memories [Smiles] of my childhood always bring a smile to my face. Growing
up in the environment & place I did, whether it was Guwahati or later
Duliajan in Assam I think has a huge hand in defining me. My parents are two
people who have had the most positive influence on me. Their encouragement
& complete trust in me, I feel, are 2 of the most important reasons for me
being able to follow my dreams. The fact that they believed in my choices is
what gave me the strength to have clarity of thought in making my decisions. I
know I’m lucky to have such parents, who have always been there by my side,
never pushy but always there to hold my hand when I needed them. My mom always
said you must give 100 percent to whatever you do & my dad always said do what you do with
honesty & dignity & that’s what I try to do everyday. They never gave
me lessons on success & failure but just how to be my ownperson, be
independent & respect myself as well as others, because for them these are
the quaities that are most important in a person & today I can’t agree with
them more. My sister has been my best buddy & my anchor since we were kids.
Her advice is truly vauable to me & over time I’ve realised that I probably
don’t trust anyone’s opinion as much as I trust hers . We are each other's confidante & always
will be.Having said
that, I feel the industrial towns of Oil India Ltd. in Assam where I spent my
growing up years, was one big happy family anyway. Everyone knew everyone &
you never felt like you needed to be afraid of anyone or anything.We all felt
so protected & sheltered, the world was a beautiful & happy place for
us. I am thankful for that, it’s
probably that kind of growing up because of which I look at the good side of
everything, try & see the good in a person that I meet instead of trying to
see their faults first. I know that everything around me can be as happy &
beautiful as it was in my childhood, if I just believe & want it to be. The
cultural activities, the fun jam sessions, festivals such as children’s week
which were such an important part of our lives were probably my intitiation
into the world which I would later become part of. I still remember my first
appearance on stage for a play that my mom directed & I acted in. And, I
still remember that I thought of that day, before I stepped on the ramp for
the first time."In the current scenario the models might be looking like they are being ignored
but trust me it's just a phase & at the end of it, a designer cannot do
without a good model to showcase his/her clothes &a fashion show cannot be done with just one
film actor".

Stylefluid
Trendz:How was Dipannita, the super model discovered? Is there anyone in
particular who inspired or recommended you to get into modelling?

Dipannita:[Laughs] I wish I knew the answer to the first
part. I used to take part in the college fashion shows & realised that I really
enjoyed it. There I won a few titles at an intercollege fashion show & a
free portfolio. Although those picures were terrible - I didn’t know it at that time
- [laughs] the makeup artiste on the shoot was kind enough to recommend
me to a few agnecies because she thought I had potential. So, I walked into one
of them, to be told that my pictures were terrible but I could give an audition
for a Ritu beri show which was going on that day, so I said yes. I gave the
audition & they said they’ll pay me ony Rs.2000 but I was on for the show.
I couldn’t believe my ears!!!I jumped
at the opportunity & got to walk the ramp with the biggest names of that
time, Noyonika Chatterjee, Madhu Sapre, Ujjwala…all of whom I looked up to…you
name it & they were there!Post that
I got booked for a few shows bythe top
choreographers in Delhi, followed immediatelyby Femina Miss India contest, where I was adjudged ‘Miss photogenic’
& I guess since then I just went with the flow.

Well, when I
was growing up everyone used to say that I could become a model because I was
so tall! But as far as inspiration goes I think for me it was just a few
fleeting thoughts off & on when I was a kid, whenever I would see a Madhu Sapre
or a Mehr Jesia walk the ramp, that I could probably one day do that too but at
that time it was too unreal a dream.

" I
think anyone who uses arrogance as an excuse to prove his creativity, is
suffering from some kind of complex and/or insecurity ".

Stylefluid
Trendz:You studied history majors in Indraprastha College, Delhi University.
If not a model or an actor, then what would you have been?

Dipannita:If at all I would have chosen an alternate
profession then it would probably have been copywriting or something to do with
advertising/media because I had enrolled myself into an advertising course in
Delhi, post my graduation, which I couldn’t complete when I started working. As
a kid of course [smiles] I wanted to be a teacher just like my mother.

Stylefluid Trendz:How did the transition from
modelling to film happen?Your choices
of roles are often unconventional.Is this a conscious decision?Dipannita:I
actually never gave up modelling to do films. When I did my first film I just
did it for a lark & was very happy to go back to doing my shows, travelling
to different countries & being the face of different brands.So it
pretty much remained like that. I would do a film if it interested me but
otherwise I was very happy with my modelling. My pattern of choosing roles
& films hasn’t changed but I don’t model hectically anymore. I’m happier
with doing selective shows with good designers, therefore I probably had two
releases in last two years & going to start shooting for one more feature
in this year, which is way more hectic than I can handle. When it comes to
films [smiles] I’m happy in this space.

I choose my
roles as organically as I can. If I get a filmmaker, whose ideas appeal to me
plus a script & a role that I probably havent tried before I’m game [smiles]."I
have enjoyed walking for almost all designers from India & abroad but my
favourites from India are Suneet Verma, Shahab Durazi, Anita Dongre, Rohit Bal
& Tarun Tahiliani".Stylefluid Trendz:What do you have to say to a particular school of thought that says that a good
model can’t become a good actor?Dipannita:Honestly,
I think there are enough of us who have proved that school of thought wrong
over the year, hence those thoughts have just been pushed way behind &
don’t think are goiing to be voiced anytime soon [smiles]. We have taken our time,
worked hard & done this sincerely, hence I’m confident that such thoughts
will soon die out.

Stylefluid
Trendz:What is your take on the idea of film stars replacing the models on the
covers of fashion magazines or for that matter becoming show stoppers during
the fashion weeks? Do you see this as a major challenge to the modelling world?

Dipannita:Well, currently it’s all about the commerce when it comes to magazine covers
& to a certain extent showstoppers. If it’s the brands pushing their faces
or producers pushing there next big discovery, that’s totally understandable. I
do agree that it gets a tad bit boring to see the same faces over & over
again but I guess that’s working so why not? Everyone has their own place when
it comes to the film/fashion world & that’s what each one has to realise.
In the current scenario the models might be looking like they are being ignored
but trust me it's just a phase & at the end of it, a designer cannot do
without a good model to showcase his clothes &a fashion show cannot be done with just one
film actor . Fashion industry is incomplete without models as much as the fim
industry without actors.

Stylefluid
Trendz:With your multi dimensional roles as a model, actress, entrepreneur and
a wife, how do you keep a balance in your personal and professional life?Dipannita :They
are all equally important roles for me, alongwith the roles of being a
daughter, sister & a friend, so priorotising one over the other is almost
impossible. The trick for me I think is to play all of them, with utmost
honesty & sincerity & give the hundred percent that is possible on my
part.Stylefluid
Trendz: You come across as an extremely grounded person. In an industry plagued
by superficial ego and arrogance, is it difficult for a person, not to let fame
go to his/her head?Do you think
arrogance is a fine art that comes with creativity?

Yes, what is
important for me is to be focussed at what I’m doing, be firm in my ideals
& not get pushed by other people to do what they want me to do. I respect
people, their work and their space & hence I demand/earn the same for
myself but ego & arrogance, two most futile things that ultimately only
pull you down.

Stylefluid
Trendz:You have worked with crème de la crème of the
fashion industry – both nationally as well as internationally. Which one has
been your favourite campaign/show so far and why?Dipannita:My most favourite campaign is my international
camapign for Breguetwatches & later their jewellery line. I was their face
for 5 years across the world. My Garnierskin care campaign in India, which was
my first major campaign as a model is also very close to my heart.

I have
enjoyed walking for almost all designers from India & abroad but my
favourites from India are Suneet Verma, Shahab Durazi, Anita Dongre, Rohit Bal
& Tarun Tahiliani. I loved walking for Fendi & Valentino when they had
these mega shows in Mumbai & of course when I walked for Ravi Bajaj at the
Moscow fashion week.I was one of the 2 models that were picked from India.

Stylefluid
Trendz:You are a success story. What would be your advice to girls aspiring or
trying to break into modelling industry?Dipannita:My foremost advise to aspiring youngsters is to know & believe that
success is relative. Your success is very different from someone else’s, so
never compare. If you are focussed, hard working & most importantly
practical, you will have ‘YOUR’ success

Stylefluid
Trendz:As a known face and a celebrity,
what is one social cause that is close to your heart?Dipannita: I
have two actually. One is my belief in the importance of education in our
country & I have spoken very vehemently & openly about it whenever I
have had the opportunity to. It’s not just about educating the girl child, it’s
about educating our country in the true sense of the word. Not just giving them
a few books & free schooling but teaching basic lessons on respect.

The other is
my drive withPETAagainst usage of anti exotic skin. I’m against bags, shoes
& accessories for which an animal is tortured to death & then they are
sold at exorbitant prices. There is enough leather out there for which an
animal hasn’t had to go through atrocities & I’m urging people to be a
caring consumer. The campaign that I shot for in support of that will be
released soon.

Stylefluid
Trendz:How do you keep fit and de-stress after a hectic schedule? Do you share
an intense love affair with the gym?Dipannita:[laughs]
Not at all, I’m not a gym person, I do my walks when ever I can or maybe swim
once in a while but I don’t have a fitness regime. I have tried yoga in the
past & have loved it, so probably going to start that again mainly because
it makes you healthy & strong from inside. But I really don’t have a
routine that I follow for fitness.

Quick fire

Stylefluid
Trendz:What is the most overused phrase/word used in the fashion industry?Dipannita:The most over used phrase in the industry is ‘the dos & dont's this season
are….’

Stylefluid
Trendz:If you have to define you style mantra in one sentence?Dipannita:Casual or formal, I like my style to define
me & that would be 'elegant chic'

Stylefluid
Trendz:Who is your style inspiration/icon?Dipannita:Style is very individualistic so I don’t like anyone or anything influencing me
but having said that I do admire Nicole kidman as a style diva a lot [smiles].

Stylefluid
Trendz:According to you, who are the three - most stylish women- and - best
dressed men in India?Dipannita:
I can name the men but I rather not name the women & offend some of the
others [smiles] 1. Saif Ali Khan 2. Rahul Khanna 3. & the evergreen Danny
DenzongapaStylefluid
Trendz:What’s your favourite fragrance?Dipannita
:Romance by Ralph Lauren

Stylefluid
Trendz: Which fashion and style sites do you visit regularly?Dipannita
:I browse the net all the time for fashion tips although style [pause] I would
say I don’t like getting influenced… so one or two favourite sites would be
tough. I guess the internet is my favourite place for fashion that’s all! But
I’m beginning to keep a keen eye on Stylefluid Trendz [smiles].Stylefluid
Trendz:What’s next for you?Dipannita
:I’m going to start a new venture with my husband soon & going to start
shooting for my next film after the monsoons.